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Alison's blog
Keep your finger on the pulse of the partnership
IJB Directions
IJB Strategic Priorities
East Lothian Integration Joint Board
Change Boards, Reference Groups & Golden Threads
Category: Statutory Guidance
Information from statutory bodies about changes to arrangements
Covid-19 Mental Welfare Commission advice and information: updated 5 October
From the Mental Welfare Commission
The Mental Welfare Commission is being contacted for advice on mental health care and treatment related to this pandemic
In light of this we have produced this updated advice note (version 16) for practitioners who are using the Mental Health Act and Adults with Incapacity Act when caring for patients. We have also updated our information for people using services and their family/carers (version 4).
Please read these and share them with those who may find them helpful. Please also note that they are updated frequently as the situation develops. We will issue updates, but please also check our website for the latest version.
We hope you find this helpful and ask that you email us at enquiries@mwcscot.org.uk if you have any questions or comments.
You can find the Advice Note here.
You can find the information for people using services and their family/carers here.
With our staff now all working from home, please also see here for details of contacting the Commission at this time.
From Susan Austin, Community Engagement Officer, Healthcare Improvement Scotland
Our website has a new section on Engaging Differently, to share tips, information and case study examples on how to meaningfully engage with communities at a distance. In addition to digital, we're also interested in re-purposing and adapting existing tools and approaches. Here's a link to the site:
Susan Austin
Community Engagement Officer
Healthcare Improvement Scotland
St Roque
Astley Ainslie Hospital
133 Grange Loan
EH9 2HL
New guidance on repurposing medicines during COVID-19
The Care Inspectorate and NHS Scotland have produced updated guidance for care homes and hospices on repurposing prescription medicines during the pandemic.
Our fortnightly report to the Scottish Parliament
Under the duties placed on us by the Coronavirus (Scotland) (No.2) Act, we report to the Scottish Parliament fortnightly on our inspections activity.
In order to robustly assess the arrangements put in place by care services to respond to the COVID-19 Pandemic, our inspections place a particular focus on infection prevention and control, personal protective equipment and staffing in care settings. This enables us to focus on these areas while also considering the overall quality of care and people's wellbeing. The reports we lay before Parliament are in addition to our normal process of publishing full inspection reports, which we will publish in due course.
The report laid before the Scottish Parliament on 16 September is here.
Restrictive practices and cyber-crime in today's Care Inspectorate update
Supporting improvement in the use of restrictive practices
The Care Inspectorate aspires to people experiencing person-led, outcome-focused care that respects their rights, and reflects the Health and Social Care Standards and recommendations from the Independent Care Review. We work collaboratively with organisations and the care sector to share good practice and support and spread improvement and innovation around Scotland.
We are a member of the Scottish Network for Reduction of Restrictive Practices (SNRRP). The SNRRP recognises that the use of restrictive practices with vulnerable people presents a systemic challenge and needs cross-sector, whole-system collaboration. Its aim is to eliminate the misuse of restrictive practices in Scotland as far as possible and ensure that when used, it is done safely and in a culture of openness and transparency with respect for people's human rights.
We are also a member of the Scottish Physical Restraint Action Group (SPRAG). This aspires to bring about more effective, empathic, loving ways of holding children, young people and the adults who care for them in the residential child care sector. The aim is to offer relationally rich environments, populated by adults equipped with the requisite skills, knowledge and ways of being with children. If you would like to join the SPRAG, please contact gordon.main@strath.ac.uk or sarah.deeley@strath.ac.uk.
Sign up for the CyberScotland bulletin
The Cyber Resilience COVID-19 Bulletin was set up to provide guidance relating to scams during the pandemic. The Scottish Government now plans to adapt the bulletin to cover a greater scope of cyber security and cyber resilience topics. The bulletin will continue to provide information about the latest threats, scams, news and updates.
The next CyberScotland Bulletin will be available on a new website from 1 October 2020. If you would like to receive these, you can subscribe to the CyberScotland mailing list.
Covid-19 Mental Welfare Commission Advice Note (updated 11 September)
The Mental Welfare Commission is being contacted for advice on mental health care and treatment related to this pandemic.
In light of this we have produced this updated advice note (version 15) for practitioners who are using the Mental Health Act and Adults with Incapacity Act when caring for patients.
Please read this Advice Note and share it with colleagues who may find it helpful. Please also note that it will likely be updated frequently as the situation develops. We will issue updates, but please also check our website for the latest version.
Keep up-to-date with the progress of The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Incorporation) (Scotland) Bill
From the Scottish Government
As you will be aware, the Deputy First Minister confirmed on 20 November 2019 that a Bill would be introduced in this Parliamentary session to incorporate the UNCRC into Scots law. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Incorporation) (Scotland) Bill was introduced to the Scottish Parliament yesterday.
The Scottish Government is committed to a revolution in children's rights, and this Bill represents a significant step on the road to fully realising the rights of all children and young people in Scotland. By incorporating the UNCRC the Scottish Government will deliver a fundamental shift in the way children's rights are respected, protected and fulfilled in Scotland, ensuring that children's rights are built into the fabric of decision-making in Scotland and that these rights can be enforced in the courts.
Please find attached a letter from John Swinney MSP, Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills, providing a more detailed update on the Bill. Further information about all of the measures provided for in the Bill can also be found on our UNCRC webpage here.
If you would like more information about what the Bill does or you would like to speak to the Bill Team you can get in touch by emailing UNCRCIncorporation@gov.scot.
UNCRC Incorporation Bill Team
Download letter from John Swinney
UK Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) guidance for the remobilisation of health and care services
The Scottish Government's Chief Nursing Officer has issued a letter following the publication of UK-wide IPC guidance for the remobilisation of health and care services on Friday 21 August 2020.
The guidance has been issued jointly by Department of Health and Social Care, Health Protection Scotland, Public Health Scotland, Public Health Wales, Public Health Agency Northern Ireland, Public Health England and NHS England.
Dementia care during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic
The Care Inspectorate has published a new resource 'Dementia care during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic' for care services to support them when caring for people living with dementia. You can read this here.
Tackling violence against women and girls during Covid-19
COSLA media release
New guidance for local authorities
Councils will get more support to deal with increased levels of domestic abuse and gender-based violence during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
New guidance developed in partnership with COSLA will help women and children continue to get the best support that they deserve.
The guidance signposts to local resources, and assists decision-makers in identifying women and children at risk as well as the short, medium and long term steps they can take to support their recovery and wellbeing.
The guidance is part of a range of measures introduced to tackle higher levels of abuse and violence, including a £1.5 million funding package for the women's aid and rape crisis network. It will help to maximise the effective protection and provision of support for those experiencing gender-based violence, both during this immediate crisis period and in the longer term.
Equalities Minister Christina McKelvie said:
"I am both saddened and shocked that domestic abuse has increased during this lock down period. It is unacceptable that people are at risk from those they live with. While these times are difficult for all of us, there are unfortunately those who are more badly affected. Some women and children may feel very isolated now, and need our help more than ever.
"This guidance is underpinned by our existing Equally Safe strategy and will support the strong leadership already being demonstrated by local authorities and their key community planning partners across Scotland.
"We want to continue to work with our partners and to share intelligence, shape the ongoing crisis response and plan for the long term.
"Together, the Scottish Government and COSLA are committed to tackling violence against women and girls wherever it exists and through whatever form it manifests. Our work in this area remains at the heart of the our joint response to Covid-19."
Councillor Kelly Parry, COSLA's Community Wellbeing Spokesperson, said:
"We know that this pandemic has heightened the risks to women and children living with domestic abuse and other forms of gender based violence globally. This supplementary guidance is informed by the expertise of a broad range of committed services and partner organisations in Local Authority areas across Scotland.
"Covid-19 does not offer abusers an excuse for their choices and their behaviours. Working closely with colleagues across health services and with third sector specialist services, we will continue to robustly seek to provide support to all victims of gender-based violence and to hold perpetrators of violence and abuse firmly to account."
Read the Scottish Government's and COSLA's joint guidance developed with Public Health Scotland and the Improvement Service.
Scotland's 24hr Domestic Abuse and Forced Marriage Helpline is available on 0800 027 1234.
Rape Crisis Scotland Helpline is available on 08088 01 03 02. Calls to this number are free. Or email support@rapecrisisscotland.org.uk or text 07537 410027.
Equally Safe: Scotland's Strategy to Prevent and Eradicate Violence Against Women and Girls
A timely reminder from National Records of Scotland
The duty to document does not cease in a crisis, it becomes more essential
Below is a newsletter from ICA (International Council on Archives), which includes a link to https://www.ica.org/en/covid-19-the-duty-to-document-does-not-cease-in-a-crisis-it-becomes-more-essential for your information.
Public Records (Scotland) Act
Public Records Assistant
Government Records Branch
West Register House
Charlotte Square
Edinburgh EH2 4DJ
Andrea.Wells@nrscotland.gov.uk
www.nrscotland.gov.uk
Just double-click on the title of any post you would like to comment on and pop your comments into the box at the foot of the post. Comments do have to be moderated so they may not appear instantly. 🙂
CWIC East Lothian Mental Health Line
https://www.edubuzz.org/almac/files/2020/06/cwic-mental-health-line-2.mp4
Alison's diary
Golden Threads Updates
HR information
IJB Strategic Plan and Change Boards Updates
People, teams and structures updates
Statutory Guidance
Places still available for corporate parenting training
Covid restrictions in Scotland tighten from Saturday
50+? Check out Ageing Well
Hello, how are you today?
Jane Ogden-Smith on Covid vaccinator Tracy Leishman becomes the first person in East Lothian to get their Covid jab
tony Coppola on Covid vaccinator Tracy Leishman becomes the first person in East Lothian to get their Covid jab
Kirsty Wilson on On the Goat Trail at Tynebank
Jane Ogden-Smith on STRiVE is no more – welcome Volunteer Centre East Lothian!
Janine Johnstone on STRiVE is no more – welcome Volunteer Centre East Lothian!
@elhscp
Tweets by ELHSCP
Direction to NHS Lothian and East Lothian Council on Adults with Complex Needs (21,573K)
Direction to NHS Lothian and East Lothian Council on Community Justice (Budget: 203K)
Direction to NHS Lothian on Delegated Community Health Services (Budget: 32,725K)
Direction to NHS Lothian to Support Delivery of Modern Outpatients Recommendations (Budget: 787K)
Directions to East Lothian Council and NHS Lothian on Drug and Alcohol Services and Mental Health (Budget: 9,702K)
Directions to East Lothian Council on Delegated Adult Social Care Services (Budget: 34,732K)
Directions to NHS Lothian and East Lothian Council on Shifting the Balance of Care for Care Groups (Budget: 8,616K)
Directions to NHS Lothian and East Lothian Council on Support to Carers (Budget: 397K)
Directions to NHS Lothian and ELC on Reducing Use of Acute Services and Increasing Community Provision (Budget: 20,597K)
Directions to NHS Lothian on Hosted Services (Budget: 9,284K)
Directions to NHS Lothian on Primary Care (Budget: 17,922K)


The kids had gone away for the weekend, so the Husband and I decided to do some shopping...AFTER 7pm! (Those of you with small kids know that NEVER happens.) We stopped by Whole Foods Market to look for stevia leaf. That stuff is hard to find, and we've been out for a long while. (They don't have it, by the way.) They did have the perfect silver glitter nail polish though, so it wasn't a total loss. Not the best price for it at $8.99, but I've been looking for a good dense silver glitter for a while. Essie makes a nice one, Set in Stones, but I wanted a uniform size. I layered this over a silver so that I wouldn't have to do eleventy-nine coats. But I really didn't need to. This stuff is pretty opaque at two coats.


Interested in getting a behind-the-scenes experience? Check out our Denver Brewery Tours page.
A few things that will always go together at Oskar Blues: craft beer, live music and great food like wood-fired, hand-pattied sirloin burgers, juicy slow-smoked meats, southern fare and an oyster bar when you walk in.
Woods Boss Brewing Company has transformed an early 1900s brick building into a beautiful brewery and taproom. They have 24 taps with 20 craft beers brewed in-house and a gluten-free option as well as root beer and kombucha.
Odell features 16 taps and a 10-barrel pilot brewhouse. The two-story building was originally built in 1917. With original brick and countertops made from reclaimed floorboards, the space preserves its historical beauty with modern accents. Guests can order from two bars and enjoy an outdoor patio with two fire pits.
Thirsty Monk opened its 12-barrel brewery in Denver's Uptown-City Park West neighborhood in 2017. Take a seat in their comfortable taproom, or out on the patio, and enjoy the tap list of award-winning Belgian Rooted Modern Ales, along with expertly paired food flights.
Station 26 Brewing Co. brews handcrafted beers in a 1960 fire station in Denver's Park Hill neighborhood. The brewery is the ideal first stop for travelers coming from Denver International Airport.
A sister brewery to Denver Beer Co., Cerveceria Colorado was founded in 2018 to highlight the culture, flavors and traditions of Mexico through craft beer. They believe beer is inclusive, collaborative and celebratory. They seek to honor the traditions, cuisine and culture of Mexico by utilizing traditional Mexican ingredients, flavors and processes to create innovative styles of beer.
Briar Common is a family-owned gastro-brewery, brewing both classic and contemporary beer styles complemented by a creative comfort-food menu. You can enjoy weekend brunch, happy hour or daily dinner on the beautiful rooftop patio.
Little Machine is an award-winning tasting room brewery. Their brewing system, from mill to serving tanks, was built right here in Colorado. They use it to brew classic styles, seasonal pairings and special projects.
Situated across the street from the banks of beautiful Sloan's Lake in Edgewater, Joyride has tremendous views that pair with their stellar brews. You'll find there's something for everyone at Joyride's dog-friendly taproom.
Founded in 2015, Call to Arms is an award-winning brewery, located in the Berkeley neighborhood. Blending tradition with innovation, the brewery is a gathering place, passionately committed to quality, community and camaraderie.
Inspired by an archaeologist's adventures, Intrepid Sojourner pushes the boundaries of beer's taste with its ever-changing lineup of travel-influenced brews, complemented by non-alcoholic coffee, kombucha and root beer to round out its 20 taps.
Crazy Mountain brews crazy good beer for the passionate pursuers of life. Check out their Denver taproom and beer garden, drink up and live life to the fullest.
TRVE visitors are greeted with an iconic, long wooden table — perfect for socializing — and the sounds of heavy metal. Although metal plays all day and night, the brewery is set up to encourage great conversation.
The name comes from the camaraderie that the craft brewing industry is known for. This family-owned-and-operated brewery uses only American-made brewing equipment and has multiple beer medals to its name.
Perched at an elevation of 7,686 feet, the deck and main dining room at the historic El Rancho provide the perfect spot for a beer and a burger while enjoying a view of the Continental Divide.


As a pro makeup artist I get to try everything. I got to try Cle De Peau Foundation Broad Specturm SPF 21. I have 3 shades 010 020 030. Presently I am 020. I have never tried anything so soft and light before, truly different than any other creme foundation I have ever tried. I used the Brightening Enhancer Base first, it has a soft dewy finish. The Foundation goes on beautifully with its little gold spatula. What a finish! Exquisite, luxurious and very indulgent. The glow is incredible. I love this! I would definitely re purchase this. I would not use this on camera as it glows too much, but in real life I would wear every day. Going out today to purchase the tinted sunscreen...I love the whole makeup line!
When I tan I am NC30 - then ochre does the job. As soon as the tan fades, I mix Ochre and Almond, and my NC 25 skin rejoices! In the middle of winter, I'm NC 25ish, maybe NC 22-25, and I just use Almond, maybe Almond/Ivory on the areas that never get sun (like the eye area NC 20). My skin leans a bit towards olive, not much pink except where there is rosacea.
Try out the little samples you can get on eBay to see what color matches you the best.
The texture is very skin-like, mat but not dull, it does not emphasize what you are trying to conceal, it just magically makes it recede.
If you have a larger flat area you want to conceal but you still want it to look life-like, you could try this trick: cover with a thin layer of concealer, then gently press the pad of your thumb on top - I don't know why, but the ridges of your fingerprint add a life-like/random element that makes it look natural! Let me know if this trick works for you!
It lasts forever, both on your face and in the stick. No question, the initial outlay is steep (which is why you should color test first for a few days with a sample, check it out in different light conditions). But for me it is one of the must have 5* products.
If you would like more detailed information, check out my review of the Almond shade here on MUA, along with many other reviewers of this product - lots of different shades. Dozens of MUA can't be wrong!
I am really impressed by this: I wasn`t planning on buying a new concealer, I am quite happy with my Sisley Phyto and my Catrice Camouflage, but on a recent trip to Europe I realized at the airport that I had forgotten to pack them, so this is how I ended up with this. It`s expensive, but less than half the price of my Sysley concealer and performs just as well. It gives really good coverage, the shade PO matches my complexion really well, and if used properly, it doesn`t crease, migrate or settle into patches. With a touch of powder it lasts all day on me. The only thing I don`t like is the brush dispenser. I mean, I don`t use that brush to blend, it`s just a dispenser, and I hate having to wash it and waste product. Would I repurchase? I clicked Yes, but I`m not sure at this point. It depends how long this product will last. At the moment, I am using it every day, but the tube is opaque and I cannot tell how much product is left inside. If it lasts at least 6 months (I am using just a dab of product on each eye, you really don`t need so much), then I would definitely get it again.
I got this collection off eBay, and I love the elegance of the midnight blue, jewel-like, heart-shaped compact. It looks lovely sitting on the vanity table, a very pleasant little indulgence. It's thin enough you could slip it into an evening purse.
It comes with 2 little brush applicators, which are soft yet firm, perfect for applying either lipstick or gloss. There is a high-quality, distortion-free mirror which is true to colour, so it's is a perfect size for primping your lips (it's an upside-down heart shape, so the widest part of the heart is ideal for applying lip products).
The lipsticks are pleasant but no great improvement over any other lipstick, and the gloss that goes on top is a pink, very shimmery shade, suitable only for parties.
The lipstick shades aren't labelled, so I have no idea what the colors are. The lipsticks stay on OK, but not more than 2 hours. They are not drying at all (which is nice), so they would be good in a dry or cold climate.
I wouldn't buy this at full price, but I got a deal on eBay, so I'm pretty happy, but one is enough, I don't need any additional ones.
What I would buy instead are Chantecaille lip glosses, which also can be bought in mini sizes off Ebay, they also would slip into the smallest wristlet or evening purse, and provide long-lasting hydration for 4 hours.


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Silver Age of Comic Books
The Silver Age of Comic Books, or more simply, Silver Age, is an informal name for a period of renewed interest and commercial success of mainstream comic books, predominately of the superhero genre from the roughly the mid 1950s to the early 1970s.
The beginning and ending of this period are cause for debate, but it is thought the period began with DC Comics Showcase #4 which successfully introduced the modernized version of The Flash. Under the editorship of Julius Schwartz, this was the first of a series of revised old characters into more modern versions such as Green Lantern, The Atom and Hawkman. The success of these character helped the company find a viable genre that could make for successful properties under the restrictions of the Comics Code. This success helped breath in new life in the comic book medium and sales began to recover from the debacle of the blacklash on horror and crime comics.
The period also saw the rise of Marvel Comics under the guidance of writer/editor Stan Lee and artists/cowriters Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko which introduced more complex characters and dynamic plotting to American comics. After an initial period of confusion about the reasons for Marvel's success, DC began adopt some of the same artistic approach.
The period hit its commercial peak in 1966-1968 with the popularity of the Batman TV series, which both heightened interest in comics and damaged their public image as a legitimate artistic medium.
The end of the period is thought to be in the early 1970s with the departure of Jack Kirby from Marvel, the growing influence of new younger talents like Neal Adams and a generally darker tone in superhero comics typified with an acclaimed run of social commentary heavy stories in the comic Green Lantern/Green Arrow by Dennis O'Neil and Neal Adams.
See also: Golden Age of Comic Books

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


For growth initiatives, many companies are looking to innovate by ramping analytical, mobile, social, big data, and cloud initiatives. For example, GE is one growth-oriented company and just announced heavy investment in the Industrial Internet with GoPivotal. One area of concern to many well-established businesses is what to do with their mainframe powered applications. Mainframes are expensive to run, but the applications that run off of them are typically very important and the business can not afford to risk downtime or any degradation in service. So, until now the idea of modernizing a mainframe application has often faced major roadblocks.
This entry was posted in GemFire, Greenplum, SQLFire and tagged analysis, analytical, Big, data, grid, mainframe, modernization, OLAP, OLTP, transaction, transactional on April 25, 2013 by vFabric Team.


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Why Firing First Means Finishing Last
Every year, the day after the NFL regular season ends, a number of coaches get fired. In a 32-team league, the number varies, but it's often in the 5-8 range, which means there's an annual turnover rate between 15% to 25%. This year, 5 coaches were fired. Black Monday, as it's now called, represents a major miscalculation in professional sports. But it's also representative of a larger failure in the business word.
A "fire first" mentality has taken hold in most industries. If sales are down this year, get a new VP of Sales. If your cost per lead doesn't drop 25% like the Excel spreadsheet needed it to in order to please the new Marketing Director, then get a new agency. It's cause and effect. Right?
There are many problems with this line of thinking. But before we delve into all of the flaws of the current firing zeitgeist, let's see what we can learn from one of the greatest coaches in NFL history – Tom Landry – a man who never would have achieved legendary status in today's climate of impatience and instant gratification.
** Full disclosure, I am a life-long Cowboys fan
Landry's Story
Tom Landry was the coach of the Dallas Cowboys from 1960 to 1989. He invented the 4-3 defense. He popularized the shotgun formation in the NFL. He also invented the flex defense and many other schemes and formations. He is considered by many to be the most innovative coach in NFL history.
During his tenure, Landry took the Cowboys to five Super Bowls in less than 10 years, winning two. He had 20 consecutive winning seasons, took the Cowboys to the NFC title game 12 times in 17 years, and won 270 games in his 29 years as the Cowboys head coach.
But Landry wouldn't be a coach in today's NFL. He had a losing record in his first 5 seasons, actually going winless his first year. He would have surely been fired.
When Jerry Jones bought the team in 1989, his first order of business was to move on from Landry. Since that time, Jones has gone through 7 coaches, 4 since the year 2000, and famously fired Jimmy Johnson in 1994 shortly after winning two consecutive Super Bowls.
Since 1997 the Cowboys have 136 wins and 136 losses with zero playoff wins. They're the definition of mediocre.
Recent NFL History
Since 2000, 12 teams have had 5 or more coaches. The perennially awful Oakland Raiders have had 8. And over this period of time, only one of these teams has won a Super Bowl (the Rams won it way back in 2000 before their recent coaching carousel began).
On the other hand, 7 teams have had 2 or fewer coaches since 2000. The Patriots stand-alone as the sole team to have only one -- Bill Belichick. These 7 teams account for 10 Super Bowl victories in the past 13 seasons.
I'm not making the argument that coaches shouldn't be ever be fired. I'm also not making the argument that fewer coaches always mean Super Bowl victories. But, there is a relationship. It's not one to one, but it is a causal relationship. Teams with an affinity for cleaning house after disappointing seasons tend to get stuck in a cycle of mediocrity.
Business Examples
Like the New England Patriots or the Pittsburgh Steelers, the most successful brands in the business world know that firing first isn't the answer. For instance, Apple has worked with agency partner TBWA since the 90s. Similarly, Nike has remained loyal to Wieden+Kennedy since 1982. That's not to say that these corporate giants haven't encountered hard economics times, disappointing fiscal years, or failed campaigns. But they've weathered the storm and understood that bringing in a new agency of record wasn't going to fix everything.
But not all brands understand this, so one of the first questions we ask when we're considering a new project is -- why is this brand making a change.
If a firm is looking for a new agency because their existing one failed or is failing, that's a big warning sign for us. Some agencies are great. Most are good. But only a small percentage are bad. This means that the potential client likely fired a good or even a great agency.
The second question we ask is -- how often have they hired and fired agencies? Sometimes relationships break down, or it's time for a new set of eyes. And that can make sense. However, if there is a pattern of hiring and firing agencies, we typically turn down the project. The likely cycle that's underway is that the organization has deep issues and they're trying to fix them with a revolving door of employees and vendors.
We recently took on a client that we had real apprehension about onboarding. They had gone through 4 agencies in less than 2 years. We were slated to be agency number five, and so our initial instinct was to turn it down. However, they had a new VP of Marketing who we knew. Who we trusted. Who was there to make the organization different. And better.
But after taking them on as a client, we realized it was a mistake. They were an awful client. Unrealistic expectations. A willful lack of knowledge. Management by spreadsheet best-case scenarios. And a total disrespect and disregard for our mutual success. They had a "what can you do for me this week" mentality. Worst, they kept a revolving door of internal marketers that our team had to get to know.
And after we created and managed one of the most successful campaigns in recent memory, in which we increased their qualified sales pipeline by 600% in less than a year with the same ad spend, we too were fired. They were bringing everything internal. Even the new VP, who we knew and trusted, couldn't change this organization.
This is where many firms fail. They fire, hire, and then fire again. It's a cycle. The core issue is that they don't understand the problem(s) that needs to be solved.
One of the main problems the current hire and fire paradigm is that it ignores root cause analysis.
Root cause analysis means understanding the core and the complexity of the problem you're trying to solve. We've discussed before how the simplest method of understanding a problem is often the most effective – and it starts with asking, "Why?"
If you ask "Why?" enough times, you'll often find there isn't just one problem. Many competent NFL coaches have fallen victim to a combination of being in an extremely competitive division, key injuries, lack of talent, and plain bad luck. Just like many brands and agencies have been hurt by negative industry trends or economic downturns that were out of their control.
Firing a coach won't turn bad players into good ones overnight, and dumping an agency won't reinvigorate the American economy. You have to dig deeper to understand the problem and craft a solution that has a chance at making a difference.
The fire first mentality also ignores the forgotten art of developing talent. Sure, every GM in the NFL would love a Bill Belichick with his 3 Super Bowl victories and storied success at New England. But it's easy to forget that Belichick was fired after 5 sub par seasons by the Cleveland Browns early in his career.
Successful coaches and successful employees aren't born. They're made. Talent, hard work, learning, experience, and many other factors create our most successful leaders. Great coaches like Belichick and Landry had to learn to be great through failure. They only produced Hall of Fame results after years of disappointment and mediocrity. And along the way they learned to develop the players under them as well as themselves, as both went on to win titles by maximizing the talent on their rosters.
If your organization isn't finding, nurturing, and developing talent – or if you're cutting bait at the first sign of struggle -- then your organization is in trouble.
The key to overcoming hardship is to look inward first.
Is your organization committed to growing and nurturing talent? Do you perform root cause analysis before making changes? Do you understand that success isn't tied directly to any single personnel decision?
A cycle of hiring and firing has a profound impact on morale. The best organizations have a winning culture, one where stability and loyalty attract top talent. The worst organizations? They drive away valuable team members or vendors… that's if they don't fire them outright first.
So as the dust settles from Black Monday 2013, we look ahead to what the new year will hold. Many coaches still have uncertain futures, one of them being Jason Garrett of the Cowboys. Forever stuck in the shadow of the great Tom Landry. By all accounts, he narrowly held on to his job and is expected to be on thin ice next season. But, ironically, if 2014 turns into yet another 8-8 season for Dallas, that would still make Garrett more successful than Belichick or Landry in his first 5 years.
A great organization would aggressively attack personnel deficiencies, examine the competitive landscape, and give Garrett every resource to succeed in his final audition for the team. Hopefully, for the sake of the Cowboys, their fans, and Jason Garrett, he won't go the way of so many coaches before him. Fired for a lack of results without consideration for circumstance or the true root cause.
And the cycle will continue.
Written by Brian Easter on January 2, 2014
JRodriguez says:
Some of my fellow Raiders fans need ro read this. I like whaf he says about the greatest coaches learned through failure.
Brian Easter


The Oscars are turning 80 next year, and here is the first promo material to prove that.
Yes. The upcoming 90th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) will be held on March 4th 2018, half an hour earlier than all of the previous ceremonies.
The ceremony will take place at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, and with a kick off time at 8pm EST/5pm PST, and was scheduled well after its usual late-February date to avoid conflicting with the 2018 Winter Olympics. Comedian Jimmy Kimmel will host for a second consecutive year, making Kimmel the first person to host back-to-back ceremonies since Billy Crystal in 1997 and 1998, and it is more than likely that the majority of the nominations will go to the great indie and low budget movies that has dominated the awards season.
The Academy Award nominations will be announced on January 5th 2018, but while we wait for March 4th, let's take a look at the Oscar's promo.


For those of you that have been following this blog you'll know that I started this blog as a 52 week project. I wanted to challenge myself to shoot more often and I decided to start a blog and commit to posting a new image once a week. I started blogging using iWeb but quickly realized that it just lacked certain features and controls that I wanted on my site. Enter WordPress…after a lot of research, reading and immersing myself in all things having to do with weblogs I started this site.
One of the most wonderful benefits and outcomes of this blog is the wonderful community that I've now become a part of. I think I've said it before (and I will keep reiterating it) that the individuals in this photographic community are talented and generous with their time, knowledge and feedback, sharing information and tips that benefits not just myself but the whole community. You all foster in me a craving to learn more and be a better photographer. I thank you for that, I thank you for all your visits, comments and "likes" and I thank you for allowing me to be a part of this community.
So for Entry #52 I'll take you back to Florence, Italy. This is a view of the Ponte Vecchio from the second floor of the Ufizi museum.
In Monday's post, The Stables at Casa Loma, I mentioned that there were tunnels that led from the Hunting Lodge and stable complex to the main house. These tunnels are 800 feet long and 18 feet deep. This is the last section before reaching the main house.
Sometimes your eyes and you brain "see" very different things. Has that ever happened to you? I have a very romantic idea of what a nostalgic diner should look like and while Mars Diner is a fun place it was missing some oomph.
After processing my brackets through Photomatix & Photoshop I then provided some "oomph" using LucisArt and then a touch of glow in OnOne Perfect Effects. This is what my brain saw! The fact that there was a gentleman sitting on the stool and someone behind the counter was sheer luck.
Click image to enlarge (honestly it looks better) or to purchase a print.
This past weekend the weather in Toronto was beautiful. On Sunday, my husband and I decided to enjoy the sunshine and go for a walk. Of course the camera came with. We headed to Unionville which is a small village in Markham, Ontario. Main Street is pretty much what you would expect of a small village…small quaint shops, restaurants, ice cream parlours. We veered off Main St. and walked up one of the side streets taking in all the pretty homes. As we were making our way up the street I spotted a house whose side windows were all boarded up. I thought to myself…hmmm, it would be great if I could get in there. Well I obviously didn't just think it I must have said it out loud because my husband then said "look the back door is open." (Yes you could see through the front window to the back of this tiny house.) Much to my husband's dismay, off I went to the back yard, through tall grass trying to avoid the wooden planks with the nails sticking out of them and the cinder blocks that were strewn all over the side of the house.
Sorry…so sorry about the post title. I just couldn't resist.
If you missed Monday's post (have a look here), I introduced Yeti, a Canadian Lynx that I photographed at the Muskoka Wildlife Centre. I was finishing up processing a few more shots and I just loved this one. Yeti was getting too comfortable just lounging in the sun so the staff member that was in the lynx enclosure with us fearless photographers waved a broomstick in front of her (just playing) which made her swat at it. You can see the snow flying in the foreground. You gotta love those paws…she's just a pussycat after all.
Click to enlarge (it really does look better) or to purchase a print.


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The first assertion relies heavily on the claims of officials and on circumstantial evidence, such as an increase in Boko Haram's tactical sophistication. Hard evidence of a tie that goes beyond rhetoric and perhaps the exchange of a few personnel remains weak. (The evidence I mean would look something like arrests of AQIM personnel in Nigeria, or of Boko Haram members in Mali or Mauritania). Additionally, AQIM's southernmost attack that I am aware of, January's kidnapping in Niamey, Niger, of two Frenchmen, was still a good distance from Maiduguri. The distance between AQIM's strongholds in the Sahara and Boko Haram's strongholds in Northeastern Nigeria is considerable, which presents a logistical obstacle to the development of strong operational ties between the two movements. The possibility of such a tie is real, and perhaps growing, but the article frames the issue as though a strong tie (beyond just rhetoric) has been conclusively established.
The second claim is circumstantial as well, though the case here seems stronger. Boko Haram sometimes seems to know where police officers or soldiers will be. Perhaps that means it has supporters and informers within the rank and file of the military. But such links have not been proven, from what I know (and the article does not offer hard evidence), nor are there serious indications that the movement has subverted high-level commanders in the security forces.
As for the third claim, that the Nigerian government's strategy is failing, that's a subjective take, and one the article does not balance by even a mention of the dialogue efforts that the federal government and state politicians have pursued. That military operations have caused anger, even a backlash, in Maiduguri is indisputable. And dialogue could certainly fail. But the narrative that all the Nigerian state is doing is mounting a brutal and clumsy crackdown is too simple.
Finally, the notion that we should fear a scenario where "extremists bent on jihad are spreading their reach across the continent and planting roots in a major, Western-allied state that had not been seen as a hotbed of global terrorism" seems overblown to me. AQIM has suffered setbacks this summer in Mauritania and Mali (and it conducted fewer kidnappings in 2010 than in 2009), al Shabab recently abandoned Mogadishu, and Boko Haram's primary goals remain oriented to altering Nigerian politics (spreading shari'a, removing hated leaders, etc.). The formation of a pan-African jihadist movement is, it seems to me, still a remote possibility.
If you read the story, let us know what your impressions are.
This entry was posted in Nigeria and tagged Al Qaeda, al Shabab, AQIM, Boko Haram, Nigeria by Alex Thurston. Bookmark the permalink.
I agree with you that the evidence contained in that article are circumstantil. However, the conclusions seem somehow valid given the facts. For example, Boko Haram has gotten more sophisticated in their use of remote bombings and suicide attacks. That may imply significant foreign influence.
If not AQIM, I dont know who else may be responsible for the sophistication of Boko Haram tactics.
And I do agree that a pan-African terror movement is still far-off.
Have you considered the possibility that Boko Haram members serving in the military could provide that expertise?
I am old enough to remember when Abacha went on a bombing campaign against his "enemies" (real and perceived). Or when Dele Giwa was killed by a parcel bomb. There is a wealth of such expertise amongst both serving and retired military personnel. (It also suspected that former military personnel are the brains behind the Niger Delta bombings).
Do you suggest that AQIM is also behind the Niger Delta bombings?
I definitely think this is possible. More likely in fact than AQIM training.
I assume you're being sarcastic about the Delta.
Sorry about how my comments may be interpreted.
However, I am very worried about how many people in the US are quick to treat local phenomena as an extension of "US national security interests". They jump to conclusions without really considering hundreds of years of history, ethnic make-up and local religious traditions.
On another note, there is a slow divergence between Southern (and Middle Belt) Nigeria and the Core North. This should give more grounds for worry than Boko Haram (which is merely a symptom of certain elements in the North trying to assert themselves).
People generally move freely through out the South and the Middle Belt, but there is an increasingly reluctance for Southerners to move North and vice-versa. This is a symptom of a nation losing its essence as a corporate entity.
Spend some time at Nigerian online forums and you'd understand what I am talking about. A significant proportion of Nigerians under thirty are losing (or have lost faith) in the continued existence of Nigeria as a united state – read their comments. A Worldview informed by Evangelical Christianity is up against a Worldview informed by Islam – I just don't know how it could / would be resolved.
militants. The prospect of an all out medieval European style religious war terrifies me.
I think sometimes movements get more sophisticated because of their own evolution, and because they attract domestic recruits with skills (see Maduka's comment), and not necessarily because of foreign influence. For example when the FLN was fighting the French in Algeria, their tactics evolved over time.
The FLN was not helped by Russians and/or China then?
Good point, and I was thinking about that issue as I wrote the last comment. But it does not seem to me (and I am no FLN expert!!) that FLN's tactical evolution was driven primarily by outside influences and aid.
Trying to think of other examples of movements as well.
Point is no group exists in a vacuum, but it seems to me that there is no reason why trial and error can't drive increasing tactical sophistication.
Please remove the extra post.
So what is your assessment of Boko Haram's increasing level of violence?
I think they regrouped and changed strategy after their 09 uprising failed. They decided that guerrilla tactics were better than full-blown confrontations with the security forces. For them to carry out all these attacks, their recruitment must be fairly strong. I'm not ruling out the possibility of outside influences, but without a local base of support and a local pool of recruits they could not sustain this level of violence.
i have to be honest and say I don't know! I asked as while I have some awareness of what is going on Somalia, I know very little about Nigeria. With regards a growing level of violence and the volume of recruits they are able to attract: clearly there is a strong base of local support stemming from what must be anger at the local government.
With regards external connections – it seems logical that AQIM would connect given their proximity and AQIM's quite mercenary and opportunistic approach to jihad. However, I do not recall hearing Nigeria spoken of amongst the list of jihadi battlefields on the forums, or see it much referred to. As far as I know, the one obvious Nigerian jihadi, Abdulmutallab, was not involved in Boko Haram, and aside from a few Nigerians in the UK, it does not seem as though jihad in Nigeria has started to spread too far beyond its borders yet. All of which suggests an organization that is still quite separate from the broader global jihadist milieu.
But this is all speculative. Be interested in hearing people's thoughts on where one can learn more about this topic.
Violence is merely a tactic, any group worth its salt will adopt the most effective forms of violence. The increasing levels of violence show that Boko Haram is a learning organisation. However, it does not change either their raison d'etre or their strategic objectives. (The Niger Delta militants progressed from harassment, to kidnapping, to sabotage, to launching attacks on Naval Installations and Offshore Platforms hundreds of kilometers from base).
Boko Haram is largely a local group with local influences. That part of Nigeria has had a history of messianic figures rising to challenge the corruption among elites / insisting on a purer form of Islam. These agitations predate Al Qaeda.
Is there a possibility that they have been influenced by the success of Al Qaeda? Yes. But the major motivation for Boko Haram is an Islamic State untainted by corruption – and this motivation is as old as Nigeria.
I am not convinced that the envisioned Islamic State encompasses the entire Northern Nigeria and I am definitely sure that it does not include Southern Nigeria. So Boko Haram may have very limited strategic goals.
Such groups can always draw support. Matatsine could assemble about 10,000 to openly challenge the Nigerian State in Kano as far back as 1980. The Nigerian State has traditionally dealt mercilessly with such groups, but the tactic of suicide bombing and the fact that the Nigerian State has to simultaneously fight fires in the Middle Belt and the Niger Delta complicates matters.
In the long run, Boko Haram and the Nigerian State may have to mutually define boundaries, learn to live within those boundaries and reach an accomodation (just like the Nigerian State has learned to live with Niger Delta militants).
I'm only inclined to believe Western officials because AQIM extended its own hand to Boko Haram, and even then both sides shouldn't be taken at face value. Insurgencies naturally connect during netwar, giving AQIM and Boko the motivation to intermingle. However I have yet to see any definitive evidence of affiliation beyond ideology/propaganda, and I'm not sure how IEDs became a specific "hallmark" of AQIM. Some of this information can be found right on the Internet; a few commanders may have received basic instruction from AQIM and combined it with local knowledge/military defections. Haven't seen any links to al-Shabaab turn up in intelligence sites either.
"Defeat" on the battlefield often force an insurgency to change tactics/strategy, and a small but evolving cadre is capable of inflicting disproportionate damage. It's easy for these groups to connect but even easier for governments to connect them. The U.S. is trying to link them together to justify a new campaign post-OBL/Afghanistan. This creates the dangerous possibility where each local solution is simplified into a broader counter-terrorism campaign, which the U.S. already fell for in Iraq and Afghanistan. Like you say the dialogue part of Nigeria's strategy is being minimized.
Both AQIM's connection to Boko and U.S. attempts to link them are causes for concern.


Questions regarding Synergy's curriculum, school rules, or the professional conduct of any Synergy employee can be addressed by making an appointment with a School Director/Principal.
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If the conflict is not resolved, the parent/guardian will meet with the Chief Executive Officer or the Chief Achievement Officer.
If the previous two steps fail to arrive at a resolution, the parent/guardian may submit their concern in writing to the Board of Directors (the parent/guardian may receive assistance with writing, if desired). The parent/guardian must also attend the board meeting during which the Board of Directors will review the parent's/guardian's written complaint. The parent/guardian can prepare a 2- minute oral presentation to present to the Board of Directors during this board meeting. The Board of Directors will discuss the issue and render a decision. All decisions made by the Board of Directors are final.
For a more comprehensive description of Synergy's complaint procedures, a copy of the School's Uniform Complaint Policy is below and can be obtained at the School office.


You are at:Home»Book Review»Who should read your book The Intergalactic Design Guide?
Who should read your book The Intergalactic Design Guide?
Cheryl Heller talks about the target audience for her book, The Intergalactic Design Guide. According to Heller, anybody who wants to be a successful leader in today's world should read her book to gain important leadership skills.
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TikTok Statistics To Guide Your 2023 TikTok Marketing Strategy
October 31, 2022 Melanie QuintyneSocial Media, Social media marketing
If you are a digital marketer or digital advertiser, TikTok is getting harder and harder to ignore, whether you love it or loathe it. The app (and its audiences) are bigger than ever after a record-breaking 2021.
TikTok has evolved to include every kind of content and community, despite the fact that many people still view it as a Gen Z platform for dance competitions. Additionally, it will become even more crucial for businesses wishing to engage with customers directly after the introduction of in-app shopping in 2021.
Here are the important TikTok statistics to bear in mind when you create your 2023 TikTok marketing plan.
Basic TikTok Statistics
With 656 million downloads, TikTok was the Most Downloaded App of 2021
That's more than 100 million downloads than Instagram, which came in second place with 545 million downloads.
TikTok had also occupied the top spot for three years in a row. In 2019 there were 693 million downloads, while in 2020 there were 850 million.
TikTok was the most downloaded app in the US in 2021, with 94 million downloads, a 6% increase over 2020, according to Apptopia.
Additionally, TikTok kept up its run of being the highest-grossing app, reaching $2.5 billion in customer spending in 2021.
TikTok is the World's 6th Most Frequently Used Social Sharing Platform
It comes in just behind WeChat, Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, and Instagram. It has surpassed Facebook Messenger to take over position 6 since 2021.
There is, however, another angle from which to view these rankings. Number eight on this list is Douyin, which is the name of the Chinese equivalent of TikTok. ByteDance, the app's parent firm, initially released Douyin in September 2016 before releasing TikTok for global audiences in 2017. The two apps have a few minor variations, but they essentially have the same appearance and functionality.
There are 600 million daily active users on Douyin (most apps use monthly figures). The two apps rank fourth on this ranking when combined, ahead of Instagram and WeChat.
TikTok Boasts Over One Billion Active Monthly Users
To say TikTok is flourishing rapidly is an understatement. TikTok welcomes eight new members every second, for a daily average of 650,000 new users. Which is the equivalent of Helsinki's entire population signing up every day.
ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, announced in September 2021 that they had reached the one billion user milestone, a 45% growth over July 2020. TikTok reached a billion members in just five years as opposed to Facebook and YouTube, which both took eight years to reach that milestone. Additionally, 1.5 billion users are anticipated for TikTok by the end of 2022.
Keen TikTok Users Still Use Other Social Media Platforms Too
Users of social media are active across a number of platforms; those between the ages of 18 and 34 use an average of eight channels each month. Users of TikTok are no different; 99.9% of them claim to use other sites.
Facebook (84.6% overlap), Instagram (83.9% overlap), and YouTube (80.5% overlap) are the three platforms where you're most likely to find TikTok users when they are not endlessly scrolling there.
Gen Z Now Prefers TikTok to Instagram
With 37.3 million users compared to Instagram's 33.3 million, TikTok has officially eclipsed Instagram in popularity among Gen Z users in the United States (those born between 1997 and 2012).
But that's not the only big spending demographic that is increasingly embracing TikTok. in Q1 of 2022, 36% of TikTok users were between 35 and 54 years old, compared to 26% in 2020.
TikTok is Still Female Skewed
57% of TikTok's users are women globally. For TikTok users in the US, that percentage jumps to 61%.
Even if TikTok's user base is becoming more varied, marketers looking to appeal to younger female audiences will probably have the best of luck.
US Adults Still Have Mixed Opinions About TikTok
TikTok has its critics; in the US, 34% of adults have negative views of the app, compared to 37% who have positive ones. This is more divisive than other platforms; Take Instagram: 24% of adults regard it negatively, while 50% of adults think it's a good thing. 55% of people have a favourable opinion of Facebook, while 39% do not.
However, those are very broad 'over 18' figures, and things change when you break down the TikTok approval statistics by demographic.
In comparison to 35 to 44-year-olds and 45 to 64-year-olds, TikTok is viewed favourably by 59% of those aged 18 to 34 and by 40% and 31%, respectively. In general, older demographics are less trusting of the platform than younger ones.
This caution might be a result of the platform's connection with upsetting material. In December 2021, parents and kids were alarmed as a hoax about school violence quickly circulated on TikTok. Videos advocating quick weight loss are just one example of the dangerous and misleading information that has grown on the platform and attracted criticism.
In order to improve safety, TikTok responded by announcing revisions to their Community Guidelines in February 2022. They have pledged to remove harmful information from the network, paying special attention to anything that encourages violent behaviour, eating disorders, or self-harm.
TikTok Boasts the Best Social Media User Engagement - By a Long Way
Anyone who has opened TikTok to just watch one video only to come back an hour later wondering where the time went can speak to the app's ability to keep users interested. In fact, TikTok has the longest user sessions of any social media app, clocking in at 10.85 minutes on average.
The second-most engaging app, Pinterest, has a session length of 5.06 minutes, so the average TikTok session is more than twice as long as that. At 2.95 minutes for each session, it's also more than three times as long as users generally spend on Instagram.
Nine Out of Ten TikTok Users Visit at Least Once a Day
Official TikTok statistics show that the app's users are devoted and frequently utilize it. In fact, 90% of users use the app more than once daily.
TikTok Users are Actively Commenting and Sharing
Many marketers get frustrated in their social media marketing efforts because it seems so hard to get users to comment on and share their content, rather than just reading or 'liking it. That's often not the case for TikTok.
In a study, 54% of users stated they had commented on someone else's video in the past week, while 50% stated that they had shared a video, often on another social media platform.
Most People Go to TikTok to Laugh and Be Entertained
The majority of respondents to the 2022 GlobalWebIndex poll stated that they use TikTok mostly to locate, and watch, humorous or entertaining content.
The second most frequent TikTok habit is posting or sharing content, while the third most frequent is following the news. Comparatively, the most popular use of Instagram and Snapchat was for content posting. Therefore, it may be reasonable to conclude that TikTok's main selling feature, particularly in terms of consumption, is its entertainment value.
Instagram, Pinterest, Reddit, Twitter, and Snapchat are some other social media platforms where users stated they went to find amusing or interesting material. However, the only two apps where that use case scored first were TikTok and Reddit.
Users Like the New Longer Videos, and They Watch Them All the Way Though
Users of TikTok had a 60-second time limit on their videos up until recently. However, TikTok started allowing users to upload videos up to three minutes long in July 2021, and then that was boosted to 10 minutes in 2022.
Longer videos, defined as those lasting longer than a minute, have already surpassed five billion global views, according to a TikTok study from October 2021. Users in Vietnam, Thailand, and Japan prefer longer videos, while those in the US, UK, and Brazil are the most engaged in them.
In November 2021, TikTok launched TikTok TV, giving consumers more options for watching videos. Given that more than half of YouTube viewers watch videos on a TV screen, TikTok is probably going to experience a similar boost in audience size and activity very soon.
FinanceTikTok is Exploding
The What's Next Report 2022 from TikTok claims that subjects like cryptocurrency, investing, and all things financial had a very successful year. Views of videos with the hashtag #NFT increased by a mind-boggling 93,000% from 2020 to 2021. Another trending topic, #crypto, attracted 1.9 billion videos. The #TikTokDogeCoinChallenge is an example of how TikTok's wild inclinations affect financial concerns.
Traditional finance topics feature too. On the app, there is also a vibrant and expanding personal finance community that offers 'tips and tricks for a wide range of demographics.
Even if your business has nothing to do with finance, FinTok's expansion shows that any sector can establish itself on the app provided they produce high-quality content. You can be sure that your target market is using the app, no matter what niche your business may serve.
Although TikTok is frequently dismissed as foolish entertainment, users, especially young ones, use it as a forum to educate themselves. Short, approachable video material offers a gateway into subjects like #inflation (which also had a 1900% rise in views last year) that could otherwise be daunting or hard to understand.
TikTok for Business Statistics
TikTok is Tops for Social Consumer Spend
TikTok has surpassed Tinder to become the most effective app for increasing consumer spending, according to AppAnnie.
In 2021, consumer spending on TikTok grew by a staggering 77%. In total, users of the app spent $2.3 billion, up from $1.3 billion the year before.
TikTok Ads Reach 17.9% off Over 18 Internet Users
TikTok Ads' reach is impressive too. With a reach of 25% of female users aged 18 to 24, and 17.9% of male users, TikTok Ads have the greatest impact on Gen Z users.
Reach varies by nation; a TikTok ad may be seen by 130,962,500 Americans or 50.3% of adults in the country. The US, Indonesia, Brazil, Russia, and Mexico have the largest potential advertising markets.
TikTok Creators Make a Big Difference
One of the most valuable resources for marketers on TikTok is its official influencers, the creators. Through the TikTok Creator Marketplace, brands can collaborate with over 100,000 creators to produce content that appeals to their target consumers. Users gain from this just as much as brands do: 35% of users learn about items and brands through creators, and 65% of users appreciate when creators post about such things.
In one case study, the cosmetics company Benefit collaborated with TikTok creators to advertise their brand-new Brow Micro filling Pen. The 22 videos that resulted, produced by Gen Z and Millennial creators, received over 3500 hours of viewing and garnered 1.4 million impressions.
TikTok's 'Infinite Loop' is Transforming Online Shopping
The TikTok community has a lengthy history of influencing consumers' purchasing decisions. Look no further than the TikTok Feta Effect for proof. However, up until recently, customers would learn about a product using the app and then go somewhere else to make their purchase.
When TikTok and Shopify announced a new partnership to enable in-app shopping in August 2021, everything changed.
However, the move goes beyond just click-to-buy. In contrast to a marketing funnel, TikTok views the retail process as an infinite loop. In other words, after a consumer makes a purchase, the experience doesn't "stop"; instead, it cycles back on itself as they post about it, provide feedback, and inform their own friends and family. One in five users creates a tutorial video after making a purchase, and one in four users posts about their new purchase.
And there are, of course, plenty of TikTok statistics to back this up.
67% of TikTok Users Say They Were Inspired to Shop, Even When They Did Not Plan To
The strength of TikTok's effect on users' purchasing behaviours is revealed by the company's own study into user behaviour. Aside from that 67% statistic, 37 per cent of people who find a product on the app wants to buy it right away.
The TikTok Feta Effect is at work here: 29% of users have attempted to purchase something from the app only to discover that it was already sold out. It makes sense that in 2021, the hashtag #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt received over 7.4 billion views.
The Best Performing eCommerce Videos are Less Than 35 Seconds Long
Want people to buy from you on TikTok? Keep your videos short. The best performing 'shoppable' videos are between 24 and 35 seconds long. Videos with captions often perform better as well.
Want more TikTok statistics and marketing tips? Get in touch, we'll be happy to help.
Melanie Quintyne


Enter the Year of the Dog this February with your pockets full thanks to our newest game, featuring 5 reels and 50 flexible paylines, the online slot, Fu Chi, from Real Time Gaming. Influenced by Astrology and the Chinese Zodiac, this game is full of lucky symbols that will undoubtedly bring you big payouts! Additionally, the two progressive jackpots, which can be randomly triggered at the end of any round will definitely help things heat up this winter!
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2019 Gold RoSPA Award
We are thrilled to announce that we have received a President's Award (10 consecutive Golds) in the internationally-renowned RoSPA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents) Health and Safety Awards, the longest-running industry awards scheme in the UK.The accolade recognises our health and safety management systems, including practices such as leadership and workforce involvement. This prestigious award is only given to winners sustaining 10 consecutive gold awards.
Julia Small, RoSPA's head of qualifications, awards and events, said: "The RoSPA Awards have become the key fixture in the health and safety calendar with new sponsors and new awards this year including the Leisure Safety Awards, the Safe@Work Safe@Home Award and the Inspiration Awards. Highly-respected, with almost 2,000 entrants every year, RoSPA award winners benefit from the wide-ranging rewards of improved sector reputation."
Our HSQE Manager, Jim Johnson, was thrilled to receive the award "It is wonderful to receive the RoSPA Presidents Award in acknowledgement of our 10th year of entering the RoSPA awards. We always strive to achieve excellence in all areas of Health and Safety and this award is a testimony to the effort we all put in."
We are delighted to have been recognised by RoSPA as it reflects the positive health and safety culture and effort put in by every single person in the company.


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Paskouh Rural District () is a rural district (dehestan) in balouchestan in khash district and saravan (makkoran), Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 6,407, in 1,592 families.  The rural district has 15 villages.

References

Rural Districts of South Khorasan Province
Qaen County

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Seed Funds are a means to promote projects focussing on promising fields of research that are still in their initial phase and not yet ready for third-party funding.
Seed Funds contribute to consolidating already existing core fields and ensuring interdisciplinary cooperation with the engineering sciences. Several state-of-the-art research projects have already been funded, possibly developing into the future top fields of research.
During the Zukunftskonzept JARA-HPC funded 5 Seed-Fund calls with over 1.7 Million Euro for projects lead by scientists from RWTH Aachen and Forschungszentrum Jülich.
The following 5 projects have been funded during the Zukunftskonzept II for a project time of 18 - 24 months with a volume of 125.000 or 250.000 Euro.


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Category: Nepal
Everything About Nepal
Fear of Children in Nepal with their parent: – Fear is an inclination incited by seen risk or danger that happens in particular kinds of living beings, which causes a...
Nepali Currency – Everything About Currency of Nepal With Forex Exchange Rate
Nepali currency: – Currency, money – a universal medium of exchange, invented long ago. Different countries have the most varied currencies, the most amazing bills, and coins, but they all share...
Everything You Want To Know About National Animal of Nepal
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Barking mosque leader: Muslim women 'verbally abused' and 'spat on' after London Bridge attacks
Phoebe Cooke
Ash Siddique, secretary of the Al-Madina Mosque in Barking, has claimed Muslim women in east London have been the target of physical and verbal abuse since the London Bridge atrocity. Photo: Scott D'Arcy/PA Wire.
Muslim women have been "verbally abused" and "spat on" since the London Bridge attacks, a mosque secretary has claimed.
"A number of incidents" had taken place in east London since the atrocities on Saturday, including one woman who was reportedly grabbed around the throat at a bus stop, Barking's Al-Madina Mosque secretary Ash Siddique has claimed.
Two of the three terrorists, who mowed down pedestrians on London Bridge before stabbing revellers at Borough Market, killing seven, have been named as Barking residents Khuram Shazad Butt, 27, and Rachid Redouane, 30. The third man was named yesterday as 22-year-old Youssef Zaghba.
Seven women were among the 12 arrested in Barking on Sunday but all have since been released without charge.
But according to Mr Siddique, women have been the focus of violent threats and actions since the attacks.
"One lady was at the bus stop and she was grabbed around the throat," explained Mr Siddique, who has reported the incident to the police. "We've had a number of ladies who have been verbally abused and a number of ladies who have been spat on.
"We've had a couple of telephone calls, physical threats - 'we are going to attack you' and that sort of thing."
Mr Siddique said he did not believe Butt, rumoured to have attended the nearby Jabir bin Zayd Islamic Centre in Broadway, Barking, had visited Al-Madina Mosque.
"As far as I'm aware, no. To be honest with you, sometimes we have 1,000 people here so he could have come here but as far as we know, I've asked some of my colleagues and the people that work here and nobody seems to recognise him."
The failure to prevent the attacks was "not on part of the community", Mr Siddique said, but he understood police and security services had an "enormously difficult job" and that terrorists "just need to get lucky once".
Regarding the abuse, he added: "To be honest with you, it's par for the course of being a Muslim in the UK today.
"Perhaps that's to be expected after a major event like this but it's still disconcerting for those individuals involved."
Two of the London Bridge terrorists named as Barking residents Khuram Shazad Butt and Rachid Redouane
Police search more addresses in Newham and Dagenham in connection with London Bridge terror attacks


President Trump stands for a group photo prior to the Three Seas Initiative transatlantic roundtable in the Great Assembly Hall of the Royal Castle, in Warsaw, Poland, on July 6, 2017.
If President Trump proposed delaying the 2020 election until the U.S. could ensure that only eligible citizens were able to vote, 52 percent of Republicans would support the move, according to a survey from a pair of academics reported Thursday in the Washington Post. The number of Republicans supporting the hypothetical delay jumped to 56 percent when respondents were told that both Mr. Trump and Republicans in Congress proposed the move.
The survey, from Yeshiva University psychology professor Ariel Malka and University of Pennsylvania communication professor Yphtach Lelkes, surveyed 1,325 Americans between June 5 and June 20 this year. The results that purport to document Republican views are based on the responses of 650 GOP or GOP-leaning independents.
Quick with a caveat, the pair noted that their survey "is only measuring reactions to a hypothetical situation."
"Were Trump to seriously propose postponing the election, there would be a torrent of opposition, which would most likely include prominent Republicans," they wrote in the Post. "Financial markets would presumably react negatively to the potential for political instability. And this is to say nothing of the various legal and constitutional complications that would immediately become clear. Citizens would almost certainly form their opinions amid such tumult, which does not at all resemble the context in which our survey was conducted."
"Nevertheless, we do not believe that these findings can be dismissed out of hand," they added. "Postponing the 2020 presidential election is not something that Trump or anyone in his administration has even hinted at, but for many in his constituency floating such an idea may not be a step too far."
The survey also revealed the extent to which Mr. Trump's base has embraced his claim that millions of ineligible voters in the 2016 election deprived him of a popular vote victory.
Sixty-eight percent of the same group said they believe millions of illegal immigrants voted in 2016, and 73 percent said they believe voter fraud happens somewhat or very often. There is no evidence of such widespread fraud.


text:
Q: Expansive "sort" option in glossaries and zref package I have a some important content "flying" through the document, and I want to make a list of these contents. These results are in a lot of different parts (sections, endnotes...) so, their position (and number) are changeable, in this case, a manual order is inviable.
I am trying to combine zref package with \zref@extract commands and the sort field of glossaries. The problem is that, when I put the extract commands, the glossaries package does not actualize the value, it just uses the default value and I got the wrong order.
\documentclass{scrbook}
\usepackage[xindy, nomain, sanitizesort=false]{glossaries-extra}
\usepackage[titleref, user, abspage]{zref}

\newcounter{test}

\makeatletter
\zref@newprop{test}{\arabic{test}}
\zref@addprop{main}{test}
\makeatother

\newglossary*{here}{Test}
\makeglossaries
\makeatletter
\newglossaryentry{a\zref@extractdefault{a1}{test}{0}}{name={Here \zref@extractdefault{a1}{test}{0}},sort={a\zref@extractdefault{a1}{test}{0}},type=here, description={Here \zref@extractdefault{a1}{test}{0}}}
\newglossaryentry{a\zref@extractdefault{a2}{test}{1}}{name={Here \zref@extractdefault{a2}{test}{1}},sort={a\zref@extractdefault{a2}{test}{1}},type=here, description={Here \zref@extractdefault{a2}{test}{1}}}
\newglossaryentry{a\zref@extractdefault{a3}{test}{2}}{name={Here \zref@extractdefault{a3}{test}{2}},sort={a\zref@extractdefault{a3}{test}{2}},type=here, description={Here \zref@extractdefault{a3}{test}{2}}}
\newglossaryentry{a\zref@extractdefault{a4}{test}{3}}{name={Here \zref@extractdefault{a4}{test}{3}},sort={a\zref@extractdefault{a4}{test}{3}},type=here, description={Here \zref@extractdefault{a4}{test}{3}}}
\newglossaryentry{a\zref@extractdefault{a5}{test}{4}}{name={Here \zref@extractdefault{a5}{test}{4}},sort={a\zref@extractdefault{a5}{test}{5}},type=here, description={Here \zref@extractdefault{a5}{test}{4}}}
\newglossaryentry{a\zref@extractdefault{a6}{test}{5}}{name={Here \zref@extractdefault{a6}{test}{5}},sort={a\zref@extractdefault{a6}{test}{5}},type=here, description={Here \zref@extractdefault{a6}{test}{5}}}
\makeatother
\begin{document}

Here\setcounter{test}{4}\zlabel{a1}

Here\setcounter{test}{6}\zlabel{a2}

Here\setcounter{test}{10}\zlabel{a3}

Here\setcounter{test}{2}\zlabel{a4}

Here\setcounter{test}{3}\zlabel{a5}

Here\setcounter{test}{8}\zlabel{a6}

\glsaddall
\printglossary[style=list, nonumberlist, type=here]

\end{document}

Here, I get the order from the default values of \zref@extractdefault{a1}{test}{0} command. I want to put the reference value (i.e., the value of the counter) on the sort engine.
I.e., with this code I got:

And I want:
Here 2
Here 3
Here 4 and etc.

A: The problem in your setup is that the .aux file, which sets the labels, is read at begindocument.  Hence, in the preamble, the labels are not available at all, so you get the default values in those \zref@extractdefault calls.
You can put them in a hook, so that the glossary entries are done when the labels are available:
\documentclass{scrbook}
\usepackage[xindy, nomain, sanitizesort=false]{glossaries-extra}
\usepackage[titleref, user, abspage]{zref}

\newcounter{test}

\makeatletter
\zref@newprop{test}{\arabic{test}}
\zref@addprop{main}{test}
\makeatother

\newglossary*{here}{Test}
\makeglossaries
\makeatletter
\AddToHook{begindocument/end}{%
  \newglossaryentry{a\zref@extractdefault{a1}{test}{0}}{name={Here \zref@extractdefault{a1}{test}{0}},sort={a\zref@extractdefault{a1}{test}{0}},type=here, description={Here \zref@extractdefault{a1}{test}{0}}}%
  \newglossaryentry{a\zref@extractdefault{a2}{test}{1}}{name={Here \zref@extractdefault{a2}{test}{1}},sort={a\zref@extractdefault{a2}{test}{1}},type=here, description={Here \zref@extractdefault{a2}{test}{1}}}%
  \newglossaryentry{a\zref@extractdefault{a3}{test}{2}}{name={Here \zref@extractdefault{a3}{test}{2}},sort={a\zref@extractdefault{a3}{test}{2}},type=here, description={Here \zref@extractdefault{a3}{test}{2}}}%
  \newglossaryentry{a\zref@extractdefault{a4}{test}{3}}{name={Here \zref@extractdefault{a4}{test}{3}},sort={a\zref@extractdefault{a4}{test}{3}},type=here, description={Here \zref@extractdefault{a4}{test}{3}}}%
  \newglossaryentry{a\zref@extractdefault{a5}{test}{4}}{name={Here \zref@extractdefault{a5}{test}{4}},sort={a\zref@extractdefault{a5}{test}{5}},type=here, description={Here \zref@extractdefault{a5}{test}{4}}}%
  \newglossaryentry{a\zref@extractdefault{a6}{test}{5}}{name={Here \zref@extractdefault{a6}{test}{5}},sort={a\zref@extractdefault{a6}{test}{5}},type=here, description={Here \zref@extractdefault{a6}{test}{5}}}%
}
\makeatother
\begin{document}

Here\setcounter{test}{4}\zlabel{a1}

Here\setcounter{test}{6}\zlabel{a2}

Here\setcounter{test}{10}\zlabel{a3}

Here\setcounter{test}{2}\zlabel{a4}

Here\setcounter{test}{3}\zlabel{a5}

Here\setcounter{test}{8}\zlabel{a6}

\glsaddall
\printglossary[style=list, nonumberlist, type=here]

\end{document}

You still got a sorting problem to solve there, since glosarries is sorting by the first digit, rather than considering those as numbers.  But I understand your question here was how to get the label's values, and that works as long as you query the labels after begindocument.
However, this seems much more suited for a ToC than for glossaries. A simple example, using tocloft (just an example, it does not go along with scrbook, but you can get equivalent functionality there):
\documentclass{book}

\usepackage{tocloft}

\newlistof{endoftheworldpart}{prt}{My Parts}

\newcommand{\mypart}[1]{%
  \stepcounter{endoftheworldpart}
  \addcontentsline{prt}{endoftheworldpart}{Here \arabic{endoftheworldpart}}}

\begin{document}

Here\mypart

Here\mypart

Here\mypart

Here\mypart

Here\mypart

Here\mypart

\listofendoftheworldpart

\end{document}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Revealed: The unis who let in the fewest state school students
Tarquin, what kind of school did you go to?
Greg Barradale
State school students are still underrepresented at nearly half of the country's unis, we can reveal, as new stats show the extent of the class divide in education.
At 81 out of 189 unis – or 42 per cent – less than 93 per cent of students were from state schools, according to new data on those starting uni in 2019/20 released by HESA.
Nationally, just seven per cent of pupils attend private schools.
Oxbridge's struggles with state school intake invariably attracts a lot of attention, but Edinburgh, Durham, St Andrews, and Exeter are all doing worse at admitting state school students than Cambridge is.
In fact, a gap is opening up between Oxford and Cambridge – 62 per cent of new starters at Oxford are from state school, compared to 69 per cent for Cambridge.
However, when Oxford individually released stats for 2020 in September, it announced that number had increased to 68 per cent. The university said the effort is part of a "long-standing commitment to address educational inequality".
Cambridge last month announced it is to introduce a foundation year for disadvantaged pupils. Students who missed their grades will be offered the opportunity to study a full degree if they pass the foundation years, as part of an effort to increase the amount of students at the university from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Overall, performing arts institutes top the list, but beyond those a number of high-profile unis still take over 25 per cent of their students from private schools.
These are the unis who let in the fewest state school students:
1. Regent's University London: 25 per cent
2. City and Guilds of London Art School: 30.3 per cent
3. Royal Academy of Music: 37.5 per cent
4. Courtauld Institute of Art: 40 per cent
5. Royal College of Music: 44.8 per cent
6. Royal Agricultural University: 62.1 per cent
7. The University of Oxford: 62.2 per cent
8. The University of Edinburgh: 63.2 per cent
9. University of Durham: 63.5 per cent
10. The University of St Andrews: 63.9 per cent
11. The University of Exeter: 64.5 per cent
12. Imperial: 65.9 per cent
13. LSE: 67.1 per cent
14. University College London: 67.3 per cent
15. Guildhall School of Music and Drama: 67.4 per cent
16. The University of Cambridge: 69.1 per cent
17. New College of the Humanities: 69.6 per cent
18. Oxford Brookes University: 71.2 per cent
19. The University of Bristol: 71.3 per cent
20. The University of Bath: 71.9 per cent
21. Met Film School Limited: 72.7 per cent
22. Royal Academy of Dramatic Art: 73 per cent
23. Arts Educational Schools: 73.3 per cent
24. Newcastle University: 75.5 per cent
25. King's College London: 76.6 per cent
• These were officially the 50 whitest uni subjects in 2020
• Grads could be made to repeat a year of uni to finish their degrees, warns regulator
• All but one of the Russell Group unis accepted more ethnic minority students in 2020
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It starts with an explanation of how naming #PuertoRico as our 51st State can save lives.
– A growing coalition with the National Foundation for Women Legislators (NFWL) and 100 Black Men Of America, Inc.
– Announcing plans to work with the Pentagon's Innovative Readiness Training program and assist communities across the U. S.
Space is limited. So, plan NOW to RSVP your attendance at the Rayburn Office Building by contacting Joe Caprara by email at Joe.Caprara@safeamerica.org or call Stephen George at (678)-437-4116.